ISS crew on earth once more try on space suits

Moscow: ISS Crew 21 and the space
tourists tried on the space suits and the seats in the Soyuz
TMA-16 spacecraft, which will carry them on September 30 to
the orbit.

The crew tried the suits and seats for the second and
final time yesterday in the aircraft, the Cosmonaut Training
Centre`s press secretary Irina Rogova said.

"ISS Crew 21 this Friday has a final `fitting` of the
Soyuz and the space suits," she said.

"Besides, the cosmonauts will examine the MIM-2 new
module they will dock to the Russian segment of the station in
November."

The first "fitting" of the space suits and the seats
and training aboard the Soyuz took place at the cosmodrome on
September 18.

Russian Maxim Surayev and NASA astronaut Jeffrey
Williams together with space tourist Guy Laliberte checked the
air tightness of the space suits and got into the capsule of
the piloted spacecraft, in which they tested the seats and
radio and television systems and checked the placement of
equipment and cargoes in the craft.

After the first "fitting", the crewmembers said what
needed correcting. They will check now once more whether
everything is right.

While the crew on the earth tests the vehicle, some of
the crewmembers of ISS Expedition 20 prepare to return to the
earth.